A Spatial Relationship between Canopy and Understory Leaf Area Index in an Old-Growth Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest
1
Master Degree Program of Mountain Studies, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Ibaraki, Japan
2
Faculty of Education, Shinshu University, Nagano 380-8544, Nagano, Japan
3
Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Ibaraki, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Forests 2020, 11(10), 1037; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101037
Received: 19 August 2020
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Revised: 17 September 2020
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Accepted: 22 September 2020
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Published: 25 September 2020
(This article belongs to the Collection Forests Carbon Fluxes and Sequestration)
Quantification of leaf area index (LAI) is essential for understanding forest productivity and the atmosphere–vegetation interface, where the majority of gas and energy exchange occurs. LAI is one of the most difficult plant variables to adequately quantify, owing to large spatial and temporal variability, and few studies have examined the horizontal and vertical distribution of LAI in forest ecosystems. In this study, we demonstrated the LAI distribution in each layer from the understory to canopy using multiple-point measurements (121 points) and examined the relationships among layers in a cool-temperate deciduous forest. LAI at each point, and the spatial distribution of LAI in each layer, varied within the forest. The spatial distribution of LAI in the upper layer was more heterogeneous than that of LAI at the scale of the entire forest. Significant negative correlations were observed between the upper- and lower-layer LAI. Our results indicate that the understory compensates for gaps in LAI in the upper layer; thus, the LAI of the entire forest tends to remain spatially homogeneous even in a mature forest ecosystem.
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Keywords:
canopy structure; leaf area index; mature forest, understory
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MDPI and ACS Style
Tanioka, Y.; Cai, Y.; Ida, H.; Hirota, M. A Spatial Relationship between Canopy and Understory Leaf Area Index in an Old-Growth Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest. Forests 2020, 11, 1037. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101037
AMA Style
Tanioka Y, Cai Y, Ida H, Hirota M. A Spatial Relationship between Canopy and Understory Leaf Area Index in an Old-Growth Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest. Forests. 2020; 11(10):1037. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101037
Chicago/Turabian StyleTanioka, Yosuke, Yihan Cai, Hideyuki Ida, and Mitsuru Hirota. 2020. "A Spatial Relationship between Canopy and Understory Leaf Area Index in an Old-Growth Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest" Forests 11, no. 10: 1037. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101037
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